Infrastructure complaints - to who?

I've had unresolved phone and BB problems in rural Lincolnshire for months.

Old (deteriorating) phone lines that are connected direct to the 01507 48 exchange 2 miles away are unacceptably unreliable. They run for 1 mile underground and have several junction boxes for other consumers' connections along the way and then go along poles, through trees and yet more junction boxes, as the lines go up, over and under the various roads along the way.

Our whole village suffers regular disconnections and very slow speeds. I often see 0.5mbps and a 30db SNR/1800 sync speed.. At other times, after Plusnet does an SNR reset, I can get 3.5mbps with an SNR of 6 and 9db. It's now around 1.9mbps with an SNR of 15 or so. (These figures from RouterStats).

But at least I'm generally connected, others have been disconnected completely for 2 or 3 weeks at a time (and this several times) while they wait for BTO to come out, identify and eventually fix (cobble) the problem they're looking for. It seems they are running out of working pairs of copper - maybe our slow speeds are the result of them using two cores from separate pairs - likely?

Anyway, our repeated breakdowns and poor service is such that if it were gas/electricity or whatever we could have complained direct to our supplier and switch to another provider if we chose. But we are not the customers of BTO and Plusnet and all the different ISPs we use seem to have no bite with them, or at least they are not prepared to use it.

To whom can we complain about the infrastructure failings of BT Wholesale and/or BTO - it grates to read about the problems people have with their service delivering only 30 or 50mbps when we have less than 1 - and no mobile signal either which is another issue altogether but related to our regular landline failures.

Re: Infrastructure complaints - to who?

Co-incidentally, my local MP (Victoria Atkins) and the MP for where I work (Matt Warman) were two of the main and best contributors to the Faster Broadband debate in the House of Commons a couple of weeks ago. They have both been contacted on the broader issues relating to our village's broadband provision.

They and many other MPs were concerned about the monopoly position that BT, or whichever offshoot it is, have retained for the distribution of cable based data.

But the question remains, can we as members of the public make any direct representation to BTW/BTO about issues within the distribution network?

Re: Infrastructure complaints - to who?

This is the email address you need: gavin.e.patterson@bt.com
Collect as much data as you possibly can from all the villagers about their problems with their broadband/phones preferably with dates, you need lots of factual evidence. Then send him all the evidence and appeal for help.
Although he helped me with a much simpler problem I do wonder if you will have an uphill battle as it sounds like BT Wholesale need to spend a lot of money to sort things properly which no doubt they will be very loath to do. The ISPS have no power worth mentioning, they are just a customer.
Failing an adequate outcome from your appeal to Gavin Patterson it might be worth considering involving the press and radio/television consumer programmes. Just a thought.

Re: Infrastructure complaints - to who?

My (original OP) issue with BTW is , as I understand it, that they are responsible for all the exchange equipment - and lines? And BTO are the repair men?

"Of course how much of what the OP reports is just hearsay ?"

Have I misinterpreted this comment (above)? What have I 'reported' (even if it were heresay, which it isn't) that seems to cause Zarjaz to ask the question?

Anyway, as I said earlier, we have this situation: an unacceptably poor telephone and BB service and, with no mobile coverage or cable options available, and so it seems we are dependent for our basic comm's service on a monopoly with a public service commitment.

The general opinion is that I/we/the village will get nowhere with BT/BTW/BTO or whoever it is that is responsible for this. What a shambles.

Re: Infrastructure complaints - to who?

I do wonder if you will have an uphill battle as it sounds like BT Wholesale

What has the OP's apparent issue got to do with BT Wholesale ??

Failing an adequate outcome from your appeal to Gavin Patterson it might be worth considering involving the press and radio/television consumer programmes. Just a thought.

Of course how much of what the OP reports is just hearsay ?

Like the OP I assumed that if it is a question of inadequate infrastructure then who else is responsible but BT Wholesale? Ooops, Openreach then! Still I am sure they will not be keen to spend a lot of money.
I suggested that the press etc might be involved as a last resort if all else fails. Certainly here in Suffolk there have been cases where involving the local press and radio has worked wonders after months of impasse and no connection at all for weeks on end.
Indeed it is a matter of progression down all the available avenues with the media as a last resort.
I did emphasize the need for details as obviously hearsay will be rightly discarded, there must be accurate provable evidence.